Apollo 8 Flown Eagle Picher Battery Plate

This artifact is a battery plate the flew on Apollo 8, the first manned expedition to orbit the Moon. The battery plate was manufactured by Eagle Picher Industries Incorporated in Joplin, Missouri.

Eagle Picher Industries was a leading supplier of batteries for space missions to NASA. Another product of Eagle Picher between 1934 and 1971 was asbestos laced cement. This cement led to the demise of Eagle Picher. Lawsuits totaling over $2 billion in claims forced Eagle Picher to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1991.

This particular artifact was presented to one of the Eagle Picher engineers upon the completion of Apollo VIII. It is encased in a Lucite presentation piece. The Lucite is formed to resemble a cut diamond and was probably intended as a paperweight.

The battery plate rests on a brass plaque. The front of the brass plaque is inscribed "BATTERY PLATE ORBITED THE MOON APOLLO VIII - BORMAN LOVELL ANDERS." The back of the brass plaque is inscribed "EAGLE PICHER IND. - ELECTRONICS DIVISION - COUPLES DEPT."

The color of the battery plate resembles zinc. Its size is similar to the size of a dime.

The Earth To The Moon Air & Space Museum acquired this artifact from an online auction on February 1, 2000.